Saw a insightful article by Mike Leake at
SBC Voices about
Running From Lust::
“Flee sexual immorality...” 1 Corinthians 6:18
"It has been said, and rightly so, that sexual immorality (lust, etc.) is the only sin that we are told to run away from. Everything else we are typically told to stand firm and fight—but sexual sin can become so ensnaring that we are told to run away from it. I agree.
However, I do believe there is a huge difference between law running and gospel running. One runs out of an overflow of love and grace the other runs out of fear, guilt, and shame."
He then discusses the difference between "Law Running" and Gospel Running," with great quotes like these:
"Gospel running is radically different. Gospel running is what happens when you are so blown away by what Christ has done that your affections actually begin to change. You flee sexual immorality much the same way I run away gagging from a poopy diaper."
"...Law running is simply running away from something. Gospel running is running away because of Someone and to Someone."
He concludes:
"So if you find yourself struggling with lust it’s not a methodology problem—it’s a heart problem. You aren’t fundamentally struggling with lust because you’ve let down your guard and aren’t following your 10 steps to stay away from porn. You are fundamentally struggling with lust because your affections for Jesus are low. If you want to battle lust then do things to stir your affections. Don’t focus on trying to not lust. Focus on Christ—preach the gospel to yourself until your affections start to change and the emptiness of lust is exposed."
I done a lot of successful pastoral counseling with guys dealing with sexual addictions. In almost all cases, there is despair rooted in feelings powerlessness. If you don't break the beliefs that give rise to feelings of powerlessness, you won't break the addiction. Simply telling them to preach the gospel to themselves -- as though doctrine alone is enough -- won't work. They know the gospel, and want to follow the Lord. Instead, only authentic repentance that is personal and intensely sovereign works. This happens if they expose their core beliefs (including the things they believe about themselves that make them feel powerless, and for which the sexual addiction was actually serving as their counterfeit solution) to the Lord and let him then sovereignly speak His truth to them -- which then brings immediate change to their core belief system. That breaks the compulsion, because the lie immediately dies. But they still need to break the the pattern by running from the addictive behavior. So I agree with that -- and that's a very important component to finding wholeness. But simply running without repenting in a way that allows the Lord to kill the root belief -- whatever it might be -- is a "works" only Gospel because it depends on our own strength.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this makes sense in such a short blurb. Here are two resources on my blog: http://fulcrumexpress.com/2009/02/13/god-shows-up/ and http://fulcrumexpress.com/2010/02/13/repentance/.
Jim- At the original post I excerpted from , the point is made that running TO the Gospel includes letting the truth of acceptance and forgiveness in Christ break the power of idols in our lives, and thereby break the power of the things other than Christ (like porn or drugs) that we use to medicate our pains. In other words, running from falsehoods to truth just as you said.
ReplyDeleteTim Keller, Mark Driscoll and similar writers and speakers have really opened my eyes to the key factor of idolatry in sinful patterns of behavior, and the necessity of breaking idols to achieving wholeness.
Oh, BTW, thanks for commenting. I'm amazed whenever I learn that anybody is actually reading my stuff!
ReplyDeleteI read your stuff all the time! I like it. On the point of this blog and your comment, I'm not necessarily disagreeing. But what I have learned is that truly believing the doctrinal truths of acceptance and forgiveness often is not enough. For example, I can believe that all things work together for those who love Christ. But then I lose my job, and I'm in emotional turmoil. My logic sincerely believes one thing, but my emotions believe something else.
ReplyDeleteI can read to such men all the Bible passages, they can truly embrace the logic and rational truth they contain, and fully embrace them with a real salvation experience (in fact, I do it all the time!). But there is a very personal truth, rooted in the doctrinal truths, that they also need to hear. It is unique for each man and it gets to the source of the addiction. But to get there means being vulnerable and transparent in areas of their lives that are painful and that their logic wants to avoid. But when they do go there, Jesus is always waiting at that place of personal, specific wounding and he has something very, very personal to say -- which always unique to the man and brings freedom.
Too often, we want to relate to the Lord only in our logic and rationality. He, however, wants to heal the whole person -- including heart and spirit. Logical, doctrinal propositions are very important, but they only go so far and can never be a substitute for real repentance and confession and forgiveness that comes not from our understanding, but also our heart and our spirit as co-equal elements of us being whole, complete and healed.
The problem I have with 10 step programs -- which are good and I encourage that as part of breaking the pattern -- is that ultimately rely on the man having the strength to overcome. If faith is by grace alone, how can we accept that? Rather than fight the lies, why not let the Lord sovereignty, personally and intimately replace them with his truth?